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Dublin and The Book of Kells #TuesdayTravels

Dublin seems the perfect destination for this week’s Tuesday Travels, esp. my visit to Trinity College to view The Book of Kells. This is one of Dublin’s most popular destinations, as you can see by the line to get in.

In case you’re not familiar with the book, it’s a Medieval illuminated manuscript of the Gospels in Latin. No one is sure exactly when it was written, but academic opinion puts it around 800 AD. The book is kept in a darkened room, and is much prettier in person than in the photo below.

Open page of the Book of Kells showing both text and illustration via bigstockphoto.com

After viewing the book, we went upstairs to see the rest of the old library, a librarian and writer’s dream spot. A truly magnificent room. Unfortunately, I had bronchitis that day and the musty smell of the old volumes made it difficult to breathe and I left as quickly as I could maneuver myself through the crowds of tourists.

The Long Room in Trinity College Library via bigstockphoto.com

After leaving Trinity College, we went to Dublin Castle, which will be the subject of another Tuesday Travels post. Driving through Dublin, we saw the memorial to the victims of the Potato Famine of the 1840’s. The memorial consists of a line of statues of emaciated refugees walking along the river toward a sailing ship in search of a better home. It’s a sad and moving reminder of one of the great tragedies of Irish history.

We only had a day in Dublin and I’d have liked to see more of the city. But that gives me a good excuse to go back some day.

2 thoughts on “Dublin and The Book of Kells #TuesdayTravels”

Ron and I arrived at the library three minutes after it closed, so my interest in seeing the original Book of Kells will forever go unsatisfied.

Did you see the Floozie in the Jacuzzi in Dublin? It’s a sculptured rendition of a woman reclining in a bath. Also, the American Embassy is built to resemble a small castle in some ways. The moat around it is the circular drive to the parking area in back. I’ve tried to find a photo of it online, but I think it’s not there for security reasons.

We didn’t see a lot of Dublin, including the Floozie in the Jacuzzi and the American Embassy. Just Trinity College and Dublin Castle and a few things on the way to and from. I’d like to go back one day.

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